


Taste

by remanth



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Destiel - Freeform, Established Relationship, Fluff, Food, M/M, Taste, human!Cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-02
Updated: 2013-10-02
Packaged: 2017-12-28 06:06:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/988606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remanth/pseuds/remanth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean convinces Cas that eating doesn't have to be a chore.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taste

Castiel was lying on his bed in the bunker when his stomach rumbled again. Ignoring it in favor of his thoughts, Castiel rolled over and closed his eyes. He’d been thinking about his name, about what it meant. And about whether it was truly appropriate anymore. After all, the “iel” meant “of God” and Castiel was no longer the angel he once was. Perhaps he wasn’t fulfilling God’s plans and hadn’t been for a long time. One could argue that keeping his name as it was was hypocritical, an affront to God. Or it could mean nothing at all, since God was absent and had been for years. Yet Castiel enjoyed the name Dean called him, the nickname that turned Castiel’s name into a shield. As his stomach rumbled, feeling like it was twisting around his backbone, Castiel decided he was going to stop going by Castiel. It was more appropriate, and enjoyable, to be called Cas. The name fit better.

“Hey, Cas,” Dean’s voice called through his door. Cas smiled as he sat up. “You awake man?”

“I am awake,” Cas called back. “Come in, Dean. It’s your room after all.”

“It may have been my room to start with,” Dean argued, opening the door and stepping inside. He smiled at Cas and sat down on the edge of the bed. “But it's become _our_ room. Unless you’re considering changing your mind.”

There was a thread of uncertainty and doubt in Dean’s words, something Cas had heard so many times since they’d begun... whatever this was between them. And guilt, something Cas wished desperately he could erase. It was his fault that he fell, not Dean’s. Shifting on the bed, Cas wrapped an arm around Dean’s waist and waited until the other man relaxed into his hold. Dean, much as he craved and loved the attention, still fought against it. Yet they were both learning, both becoming more comfortable with what they’d become to each other.

“I’m not going anywhere, Dean,” Cas reassured the other man, pressing a kiss to his temple. That was something that was a delight, something Cas indulged himself in as often as he could. “Not when I have a home here.”

“That’s good,” Dean replied slowly, wrapping an arm over Cas’s shoulders and hugging him tight. He laughed when Cas’s stomach rumbled yet again. “I know you haven’t been enjoying being human all that much. Especially the eating part. So I made some things to try and interest you. If I say so myself, they all taste pretty good.”

“The only thing I’ve found that I really like is hamburgers,” Cas replied doubtfully, shaking his head. “And I’m not supposed to eat those all the time, evidently. But the salad Sam had me try wasn’t all the great.”

“I’ve told him this too, but Sam doesn’t listen,” Dean laughed, standing up and pulling Cas after him. They walked hand in hand out to the kitchen where several dishes were spread out across the table. There wasn’t a lot on each dish as Dean wanted Cas to try everything. “Though why don’t we start with vegetables? I like them better cooked than raw, most of the time.”

Cas settled himself at the table, studying each of the dishes with a confused mix of interest and apathy. There was a riot of color in the vegetables and a few looked interesting. Reaching out, Cas used a fork to spear a round orange circle. He recognized it as a carrot and took a bite. It was slightly crunchy and sweet. It was much better than the salad that Sam had had him try. Happy with the flavor, Cas tried another vegetable, this time peas. He wrinkled his nose, not liking the earthy flavor of it.

“Well, you don’t like peas,” Dean chuckled, picking up the plate and eating them himself. “Sam never liked them either. Though you’ll have to try sugarsnap peas at some point. They’re really sweet.”

“What’s this?” Cas asked, pointing to green leaves sitting in a bowl of what smelled like garlic butter. They were kind of thick and had a sharp point.

“Those are artichokes,” Dean replied through a mouthful of peas. “You kinda scrape the meat of it off the stalk. You don’t eat the whole leaf.”

Cas tried it, using his teeth to scrape the outer layer off a leaf. The garlic butter was delicious with the vegetable and Cas nodded happily. He went through the other vegetables, deciding which he liked and which he didn’t. At the end, Cas determined that he liked carrots, green beans, artichokes, and cauliflower. He definitely didn’t like broccoli or spinach and didn’t enjoy the peas. He passed dishes to Dean, watching as the other man ate with every evidence of enjoyment. Cas knew there were many times Dean had been without food during his life and it was a pleasure to see him eating now. Of course, Cas would probably never tell Dean that he knew or how. Dean tended to become very embarrassed by mentioning things like that and Cas had broken a few rules in order to learn more about the Righteous Man.

“Why don’t we try fruit next?” Dean suggested after all the vegetables had been eaten. He gestured to bowls across from Cas and pushed one towards him. “These are peaches.”

“They are delicious,” Cas exclaimed after eating a slice. They were sweet and juicy, the juice running down his lips and over his chin. As he went to wipe it away, Dean’s hand stopped him. Cas looked at him questioningly but Dean just leaned forward and gently licked the juice away before kissing Cas.

“I’ve always enjoyed peaches,” Dean said quietly, lips brushing Cas’s. “But they can be messy.”

Cas made a small, agreeing sound before cupping Dean’s jaw and holding him close. He deepened their kiss, the taste of peaches mingling on their tongues. Dean let him in, letting Cas set the tone of their kiss. It wasn’t always this way, wasn’t always Cas choosing what and how far. But it was wonderful that they could let go like this, let someone else have control that they trusted. The peaches were forgotten as they kissed, little breathless moans sounding between them. Finally, Dean pulled back and smiled, running a hand through Cas’s hair.

“Why don’t we finish our experiment?” Dean suggested, still breathing harder than normal. “If you react like that to peaches, I can’t wait until you try apple pie.”

Cas worked quickly through the rest of the fruit, liking all of them that Dean had chosen for him to try. This meal was far better than the meals Cas had scrounged after Metatron had taken his grace. This actually was starting to convince him that food wasn’t just for fuel. There was gratification and satisfaction and a certain self-indulgence to these foods. Especially when Dean would pick a slice of apple or a piece of raspberry and hold it to Cas’s lips before him to try. And before long, Cas was doing the same for Dean, picking the plumpest strawberry or the juiciest blackberry and letting Dean pluck it from his fingers. And if Cas’s fingers lingered over Dean’s lips or even slipped inside to tease, Dean never complained.

“Fruit is good,” Dean said when all the pieces were gone. “It’s better than greasy food. Sam says I never get enough fruit. But that might change with you.”

“Sounds like a plan, Dean,” Cas smiled, looking over what was left on the table. He was starting to feel full, the pain in his stomach finally ebbing away. But the meat that was left smelled absolutely sinful. “What else have you made?”

“Well, we’ve got some chicken, some steak, some pork chops, hotdogs, and of course, hamburgers,” Dean said, pointing out each thing as he named it. “I kept things simple, didn’t really use spices or whatnot. You can decide what you like and then we can experiment with things like that.”

“I’ll start with the chicken,” Cas said, pulling the plate with chicken closer. He cut a piece out of the breast and ate it slowly. It didn’t have much taste but wasn’t too bad. Maybe chicken would be the first thing Cas tried spices on. Dean, meanwhile, had been cutting a piece of the steak and held it out for Cas to try. Keeping his eyes locked on Dean’s, Cas leaned forward and pulled the piece of steak off the fork. Chewing meditatively, Cas decided he liked the steak better than the chicken. It had more of a flavor. The rest of the meal went the same way and Cas was pleasantly full at the end of it. 

“So, like eating a little better now, Cas?” Dean asked, popping the last piece of hotdog into his mouth. “Much better when you’re eating homecooked food and not fast food junk. Though fast food junk has its good points.”

“It was better, yes,” Cas agreed, smiling at Dean. He leaned forward and pressed another kiss to Dean’s lips. “You’ll have to teach me how to cook. Everything was delicious.”

“That I can do,” Dean nodded, standing and pulling Cas up with him. “Let’s leave the dishes for Sam. It’s his turn anyway. Why don’t we go watch a movie? I always get a little tired after eating.”

Cas nodded and they headed back to their room. Dean had hooked up an old tv and a DVD player. He was currently going through all of his favorites, determined to teach Cas what all his references were coming from. They’d watched an Indiana Jones movie last night and Dean had chosen Star Wars earlier. They settled on the bed once Dean had started the DVD, curled up in each other’s arms. Sometimes being human was more than Cas thought he could handle. But sometimes it wasn’t. Sometimes, it was just right.


End file.
